It’s 104 degrees in New York City. We have two very powerful air conditioners blasting and had to purchase two fans because our apartment thermometer still reads 88 degrees – indoors! This is insanity. Sometimes I wonder if this is what hell feels like.

I was about to make a new ice cream when I realized that it’s just too damn hot. That may sound completely counter intuitive but just hear me out: The thought of using one iota of muscle power to whisk ingredients, and heaven forbid, turn on the stove, had me running the other direction. So naturally I looked in my refrigerator and realized that I had 6 nectarines that were being neglected. The Husband already dutifully downed a box of raspberries that were about to go bad, so I had to resist asking him to eat these 6 nectarines in one sitting. I also noticed that I had one cup of raspberry syrup left from my ice cream soda recipe, and that too needed a good home. Ah ha…Enter rasperine popsicles.

Nectarines smothered in home made raspberry syrup

Using nectarines and raspberry syrup I created a deliciously refreshing puree, poured them into popsicle molds and voila…rasperine popsicles.

This recipe is shockingly easy and honestly can be made by mixing any variety of fruits together. The best part is, they’re just fruit so they’re gluten free, vegan, and healthy too!

Puree the nectarines and raspberry syrup. Add a little water to thin/dilute the puree. Pour into four popsicle molds and let them freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Before eating, run the popsicle molds under warm water for 20 seconds so that they release easily from the molds. Enjoy!

The Verdict: I drank the leftover puree even before it was frozen, which is a sure sign that these popsicles are good. Frozen, however, they are even better. I’m telling you, they’re refreshing, sweet (but not too sweet, thanks to the lime zest and lime juice in the raspberry syrup) and well textured (thanks to the nectarines). Do yourself a favor and try these at home. And the best part is…they don’t require any equipment. No ice cream maker, no problem. No popsicle molds, no problem, just use paper cups and popsicle sticks. These are a DIY summer dream!

Hurley: Did either of you see a bald guy with slippers carrying a coconut come through here?

Charlie: No, but I did see a polar bear on roller skates with a mango.

~ LOST

A little shout out to all you LOST fans out there! For those of you who were equally as disappointed as I was at the season finale, that quote just about sums everything up. If you’re thinking WHAT?? just like I am, you’re not alone. Every other LOST fan feels the same way.

Um, woops. I bought way too much alphonso mango puree. I'll just have to save it for a rainy day!

Anyhow, this mango sorbet is very special to me and I’ve been waiting a while to make it so that it would be just right.

A little history about my love affair with mangoes…

For the past six years I’ve been lucky enough to work in Kenya, delivering health programming to children and families living with HIV/AIDS. I first fell in love with the country, its people, and its incredible mangoes, in 2003. Right before heading to Kenya for the first time, I spent a few days in London with The Boyfriend (who was upgraded to The Husband nearly four years ago!) and we enjoyed one of the most delicious mangoes ever. Then, teary-eyed from saying goodbye, I boarded a plane for Kenya and spent a semester living and studying in Nairobi. Each morning I ate a mango for breakfast, intent on sampling every single mango that country had to offer. I started to notice that there were hundreds of different varieties of mangoes – some were more sweet and orange in color, others were more tart and yellow in color. The mango shapes and sizes varied greatly as well. I even learned that some coastal Kenyan communities eat unripened mangoes with chili sauce for a really tart and spicy treat! (this will come as no surprise to you that I prefer mine sweet!)

You see, mangoes are one of my absolute favorite fruits in the world. Perhaps because when The Husband and I first started dating many years ago we enjoyed them together in London , or perhaps because they remind me of the time I’ve spent in Kenya. Scents, they say, can really transport you to another place in time and the powerful scent of mangoes elicits in me a special feeling – one that reminds me of very fond memories.

Mango Sorbetto + Dried Pineapple = Pure Tropical Heaven

But, no mango holds as special of a place in my heart as the alphonso mango. Originally from India, this mango has a very bold “mango” flavor. That might sound sort of weird, but for those of you who regularly enjoy the Mexican mangoes for sale at fruit vendors in NYC, you’ll notice that while they’re really sweet and delicious, they’re more yellow in color than orange, and a little less mango-ey than you may expect. That’s why I chose the alphonso mango as the star of this sorbetto. The alphonso mango is so rich and creamy, and gives off such a true mango smell, it’s really hard to resist. Trust me.

For a little additional burst of the tropics, I decided to add Kopali Organics dried pineapples as a topping. These organic treats not only taste good, but they are also good for you, and good for the small organic farmers, the unsung heroes who still practice truly sustainable agriculture. It’s truly a win-win-win situation.

So, here’s the recipe for a simply delicious, mind-numbingly easy alphonso mango sorbetto. Boy does it bring back good memories…

The sorbetto is churning...what a beautiful color!

Alphonso Mango Sorbetto

From the Ciao Bella Cookbook

Ingredients

1 30-ounce can of Ratna brand sweetened Alphonso Mango Puree (trust me on this brand it came highly recommended from a manager at an Indian restaurant and by the shopkeeper, you can get it at any Indian market, I got mine here )

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

I was feeling a little sassy so I gave my mango sorbetto a mohawk. Can you blame me?

Method

This is a hard one. Not sure you can handle it. NOT!

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil, whisking often to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 minutes, continuing to whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool, first outside the refrigerator, and then in the refrigerator until cold, which will take approximately 1 hour.

Pour the simple syrup into a bowl, and stir in the mango puree. Whisk until completely blended. Pour the mango mixture into the bowl of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least two hours before serving.

The Verdict: It was a hit! This mango flavor was so powerful, and sweet, and oh-so-mangolicious! First, for a tropical twist I ate it with the dried Kopali pineapple. That was awesome. The next day, I decided to eat it with some fresh fruit and topped it with berries. That too was awesome. Sensing a trend? Really good and really refreshing, no matter how you scoop it!

At 365 scoops we are always up for a challenge! Last week I made birthday cake ice cream, and challenged myself to use skim milk in lieu of cream and half-and-half and I’m still here to talk about it, so obviously it worked fine!

Well, today there are not one, but TWO challenges.

#1: I am challenging you, the readers, to go on a scavenger hunt (hint: search Whole Foods) and find a Kopali Organics product, take a picture with it, and the amazing Kopali Organics folks will send you some of their outstanding products FREE! (more on this later!)

#2: I am challenging myself, the writer, to make a vegan/soy ice cream to serve as the perfect partner to Kopali Organic’s Chocolate Covered Cacao nibs.

Ahem, who in G-d’s green earth named that second book? That is the single worst title I have ever heard. Sorry to be so scathing here, but honestly, it sounds like it should be in an “adult” bookstore, not in someone’s kitchen. Ohy.

I digress…

I’m not complaining here, but this recipe gave me more agita than any other I’ve made so far. Perhaps it was because I am entering new territory with vegan treats, maybe it was because I went to 10 stores before finding arrow root, or perhaps because I have a general aversion to “fake” ice cream. You see, I have such vivid memories of eating “Tofutti Cuties” after dinner as a kid, and feeling like they tasted so incredibly fake and disgusting that I would rather go without dessert. I know that’s hard to believe coming from me, but it’s true. Now as an adult, I am embracing this new chapter in the ice cream making world, grabbing the vegan bull by it’s horns, and diving right in!

One more thing before the recipe. I’m sorry, but I have to kvetch here about arrow root. Let me regale you with how unbelievably difficult it was to find this damn ingredient. I even involved The Husband in this process, and you know that means I was desperate!

The infamous arrow root.... was it even worth it??

Without boring you completely, I first went to Williams Sonoma to find arrow root starch, certain that they would have it. Naturally, they didn’t and suggested I go to Whole Foods (luckily it was just downstairs!). I went to Whole Foods and they were out (and suggested instead that I go to Willams Sonoma. Argh.). Then I went to Trader Joe’s – nope. At this point, I called in the troops (a.k.a. The Husband) and asked him to do me a solid and hunt down this damn product. In a moment of desperation I considered using corn starch (which is allegedly quite similar) but much to my chagrin all sources said corn starch is a fine substitute for arrow root starch except for in ice cream and other frozen concoctions because cornstarch doesn’t stand up to freezing. Grr. So from there I called not two, but six more stores. Gristedes (aka highway robbery supermarket) had one small jar left so I sent The Husband there at once. He brought it home and we found that it was expired three years ago! Seriously? I was going nuts at this point. Obviously we did not use it, and I called one more store, to find that yes, they did have arrow root starch, and no it was not expired, and yes they would hold it so that The Husband could schlep 10 blocks to go get it. And he did. And I owe him big time!

Sigh. I’m out of breath just from typing that story!

After all the schlepping around it was totally worth it for the finished product. You see, what made this recipe truly perfect (and I think that you’ll be missing out if you don’t add them) are theseKopali Organic Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs. Simply put, they are irresistible and your soy latte will be too with this topping!

Oh, and I should mention that not only does this ice cream taste good, but it’s will also feel good too! When you enjoy Kopali’s organic fruit and fair-trade chocolates you can feel great knowing it’s good for you, good for farmers, and good for the earth! By eating Kopali’s products you are supporting thousands of sustainable farmers and their communities in nearly a dozen countries across the globe.

Lastly – I should note that this recipe is completely vegan, gluten-free, organic and kosher. Can’t get better than that…

Whisk the soy creamer, remaining 1 cup of soy milk, coffee and sugar on the stove top until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is almost boiled.

Remove from heat and add the arrow root paste, vanilla and 1/4 tsp of ground coffee.

When you taste the mixture (which you will inevitably do) you will notice that is more on the milky side, and less on the coffee side. At this point, open another packet of Starbucks Via and begin adding in the slightest amounts and whisking. I added approximately 1/2 of another packet, but honestly could have added a bit more. Add bit by bit, whisk and repeat until you get the desired flavor. *Remember, this is a soy latte ice cream, not coffee ice cream, so it should be more milky than coffee-y.*

The coffee mixture swirling...

Once you reach the desired taste, cool in an airtight container in the refrigerator, at least two hours. In an effort to cut corners I cooled the mixture in a bowl, and what do you know? The damn mixture spilled in my refrigerator! Probably only a tablespoon-full spilled, but it was really sticky and made a huge mess. Word to the wise: don’t cut corners! Put the mixture in a sealed container!

Once the mixture is completely chilled, remove from the refrigerator and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For this recipe I churned it for approximately 28 minutes, which is slightly longer than other recipes, but I think that’s because soy milk is by nature a little waterier than regular milk.

The ice cream is still rather creamy, so like usual, freeze for a bit before serving. But, because this is made with soy (which is virtually a water base) , it was slightly more icy the next day, so I would suggest serving this one either right out of the ice cream maker or only once after freezing for an hour or so. It tastes better that way.

The Kopali Organics chocolate covered cacao nibs!

When serving, sprinkle lots of the chocolate covered cacao nibs on top OR if you want, add them about three minutes before the ice cream is done churning and they will mix very well into the ice cream. What a delicious combination! Trust me on this!

The Verdict:

The Husband: “I thought you were making vegan ice cream.”

Me: This was quite good – everyone should try it! I take back everything I ever said about “fake” ice cream. And with the chocolate covered cacao nibs this was a real winner! Yum Yum Yum.

Please don’t get angry but…we devoured this ice cream before I was able to take a picture of the finished product. I know, I’m sorry. Hopefully the scavenger hunt and FREE Kopali products will enable you to forgive me!

**Remember, the first person to send me a photo of him/herself with a bag of Kopali products wins FREE chocolate and fruit treats! Email the photo to 365scoops@gmail.com and you’ll be featured on facebook, twitter and more! Good luck!**

I purchased and hulled so many strawberries for this sorbet that I felt like I personally depleted an entire strawberry field.

Here’s the story. I try very much to only buy organic fruits and vegetables, especially if they are on the “dirty dozen” list. Living in NYC we have access to lots of moderately priced (I know, shocking) organic options. Trader Joe’s carries many items as does Whole Foods, and of course the plethora of farmers markets in NYC makes it even easier to find great produce. When making this sorbet I went on a hunt for good priced organic berries and after 3 places I found myself, yet again, at Trader Joe’s. They really are a savior here in NYC.

Then came measuring the ingredients.

Honestly, it was embarrassing.

My recipe called for 2 quarts of strawberries, yet the only box of berries available at Trader Joe’s was 2 pounds. “How do you measure quarts in dry goods and how does that relate to pounds?”, you ask. Well, I was wondering the same damn thing myself. I whipped out the iPhone and kept googling every possible combination of “quart + strawberry+ measurement” and found myself on this totally unreliable message board that, funny enough, seemed to have a relatively legitimate post. Two quarts of strawberries, it said, was the equivalent of 8 cups of berries. In other words, one pound of berries was approximately 4ish cups. I wasn’t entirely sold (and neither was my very nice salesman at Trader Joe’s) so he took the box of berries in the back and systematically measured the box for me. He concluded that one pound of berries was indeed approximately four cups. Lifesaver! So, I bought 2 quarts of strawberries and went on my merry way.

Simple syrup gets its name because, well, it’s extremely simple. Though the classic simple syrup recipe is 1 part water to 1 part sugar, this sorbet recipe was slightly altered. In fact, it had less sugar (which is a good thing because these berries were SO sweet on their own they barely needed sugar!).

I used organic raw sugar (which has a brown hue) to make the simple syrup. Two cups water, 1.5 cups of sugar. When it was done boiling and mixing it looked like a cup of rusty water. Ew. I thought maybe I burnt it, and was rather annoyed because I didn’t want to waste it and make it again. Then it dawned on me that it was brown because of the raw sugar! I tasted it for good measure, and sure enough, it was exactly right! Phew.

If you thought the above seemed complicated, just wait until I regale you with the trials and tribulations of hulling strawberries. You should know that I have never hulled a strawberry before. I know, it’s a cooking faux pas. But honestly, I can’t really taste the difference between hulled strawberries and those with their tops cut off. Uh oh, am I starting to sound like The Husband with my unrefined palette? Eek.

Anyhow, for those of you who don’t know how to hull strawberries here’s a great video. I watched it, practiced a few times, and voilà, I was hulling strawberries ad nauseum. But, “to hull” with this – it’s time for the actual recipe!

The pile of hulled strawberries

Succulent Strawberry Sorbet

Straight from Ciao Bella

Ingredients

2 quarts strawberries, hulled

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tbs lemon juice

Methods

Hull the heck out of those strawberries!

Make the simple syrup by heating the water and sugar, whisking or mixing vigorously so the sugar dissolves but the water does not boil. The mixture is ready when small bubbles appear around the edges of the liquid. Let it cool completely at least 4 hours or if possible, refrigerate overnight.

Mix half the strawberries with half the simple syrup and 1/2 tbs of lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Pour it into an ice cream maker and repeat with the second batch of strawberries, simple syrup and lemon juice.

Turn on the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For me, this took 25-30 minutes, slightly longer than usual, and that’s because I think the ice cream maker was over crowded.

Blending...

It’s worth noting here that my ice cream maker has a 1.5 quart bowl and this was way too much liquid for the bowl. Actually, this makes 2 batches of the sorbet, in other words nearly 3 quarts. So, either cut the recipe in half to make only one batch OR refrigerate one batch overnight and repeat the process the next day.

I actually did something rather outlandish (and delish!), and I used the other half of the mixture to make drinks for friends. We mixed the fresh strawberry puree with some vodka and a splash of orange juice, served them in martini glasses and they were a HUGE hit. I highly recommend this option because everybody wins with sorbet and cocktails! What’s not to love?

The sorbet is churning...

The sorbet is really creamy and “melty” when it comes out of the machine so like usual you should freeze it for a few hours before serving.

When I served this sorbet I created a trifle-like presentation by layering last week’s lemon sorbet with the strawberry sorbet. It was a perfect marriage of tart and sweet. If you recall, I felt that this lemon sorbet was way too tart, but the strawberry sorbet really cut that tartness and it was a really refreshing end to our, drum-roll please… pizza dinner!

Remember, this is an excellent summer recipe. It’s sure to quench your thirst (especially when mixed with vodka!) and is a real crowd pleaser (thus said our crowd of friends!)

Oh, and one more thing: this sorbet was so good, I didn’t manage to get a photo of the finished product. You’ll just have to imagine. Or better yet, make your own and try it!

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade (or lemon sorbet!). ~ Unknown

Lemon Sorbet!

Life has by no means handed me lemons, but I felt this quote was appropriate for the upcoming recipe.

I am headed to Miami this weekend to soak up the sun for one of my closest friend’s bachelorette weekend. I don’t have time to pack, get organized and make a complicated ice cream. Besides, those of us with tummy issues are having trouble enduring the past 3 days of all dairy. Help is on the way in the form of simple lemon sorbet. Truth be told, I also happen to have all the ingredients for lemon sorbet in the apartment, so why not save a few buckaroos and use what I have to make a yummy frozen treat.

Living in a small NYC apartment its slightly hard to stock a kitchen with every last cooking utensil. I have accumulated quite a collection over the past few years, but still don’t have a microplane. So when zesting lemons I use, drumroll please, a cheese grater. (Thank you to my sweet coworker for the brilliant suggestion!) Seems sort of tacky, but wow, it does the trick!

The magical lemon squeezer in action.

There is one kitchen utensil that I do have and cannot live without. I recently purchased this squeezer in Israel and it was a total impulse buy (but at $2 it didn’t really matter). At first I thought it was a real gimmick and piece of junk. Then I tried it, and it was truly a lemon juicer miracle machine. Measuring a whopping 2 inches, it’s about the weight of a few paper clips and looks a little bit like a screw. The magic is that it screws into the lemon and enables you to squeeze juice out of the spout without having seeds end up into your lemon juice. It’s extremely easy to use. Now here is where I would love to insert a link to this treasure, but I have spent the past 20 minutes searching google and have yielded nothing. Next time you’re in the market in Tel Aviv, pick one up for yourself.

On to the recipe…To be perfectly honest, I had an idea of how to make lemon sorbet – I figured I could make lemonade and then put it through the ice cream maker. Duh. But I wanted to make sure someone else (hopefully a trained chef) had tested a recipe first before I put it out to you all. I googled lemon sorbet and literally 1,000 different recipes came up, but I decided to go with Emeril’s Lemon Sorbet.

After making (and tasting) this recipe, it seemed more like an intermezzo or palette cleanser to me. In other words, it was so tart the way I made it that it would be better eaten in a small portion to cleanse the palette between, say, a salad course and a fish course. Nonetheless, if you follow the recipe below (and not the exact recipe I used) I think you’ll enjoy it.

It’s safe to say that if you like lemons, lemon zest and tartness, you will like this. If not, add a little extra sugar, add a few raspberries on top, and you’ll love it.

Simple (Tart) Lemon Sorbet

Edited slightly from Emerli Lagasse’s original recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup of sugar (I used 3/4 of a cup for a MUCH more tangy and tart recipe – frankly though, it was too sour)

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from the heat, and cool completely in the refrigerator.

Combine the syrup with the lemon juice and zest and pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine.

Freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions (which in my case was 22 minutes in the ice cream maker). The sorbet was very soft when complete. After the sorbet is made, transfer to an airtight container, cover tightly and freeze until ready to serve.

**Note this recipe is perfect for vegans, Passover, and those following a gluten free diet. **